La fille kinoise et la corvée de l’eau dans les quartiers Mikala I et II dans la commune de N’sele en RDC

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the sufficient availability of fresh water, distribution by the competent service remains a puzzle for the population in peripheral and rural areas. The rate of access to drinking water is very low, or even nonexistent, as is the case for the population of Mikala I and II neighborhoods. In the absence of hydraulic networks for the distribution of drinking water, women and girls are forced to walk long hours daily in search of water. To conduct this study on the Kinshasa girl and the water chore, a cross-sectional survey by questionnaire was carried out on 200 school-aged girls in the Mikala I and II neighborhoods. The selection of respondents was done randomly. The results obtained are as follows: 48% of the respondents arrive late to school, 46% are absent, and 77% had to drop out of school. It is also noteworthy that the collection of water exposes girls to physical, moral, and sexual violence, as well as health problems. Consequently, even with the free basic education promoted by the Congolese government, young girls from Mikala I and II neighborhoods will have difficulty benefiting from it. A large number of girls drop out of school because of the water chore, which represents a loss for the nation, as it is said that to educate a woman is to educate a nation.